Ciryl Gane vs Francis Ngannou — Fight recap

Francis Ngannou defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision over five rounds on January 22, 2022, reclaiming the heavyweight title in a grappling-heavy contest. Gane landed the cleaner striking, connecting on 63 of 91 significant strikes (69%) with particular success to the legs (28 of 30), but Ngannou controlled the fight through wrestling dominance, landing four takedowns on five attempts (80%) and accumulating 8:29 of control time versus Gane's 2:51.

Ngannou's ground control strategy neutralized Gane's superior striking output despite landing only 43 significant strikes at 41% accuracy. The judges sided unanimously with Ngannou's grappling-centric approach, rewarding his cage control and takedown success despite the significant striking differential.

The decision raised questions about Gane's ability to defend elite wrestling at heavyweight while establishing Ngannou as the division's top heavyweight once again.